Thorns of a Rose
by FranticFrenzy
Summary: For a guy whose family condemned his existence for decades for being different, having someone rely on his powers is a welcome change of dynamic. Kai x OC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! This is a story I have been meaning to write for a while :) I've always really enjoyed reading Character x OC fics so I thought I'd have a go. I'm planning for this to be a lengthy fic, and I hope you enjoy it! Any reviews would be much appreciated and I can't wait to really get into the plot... it's a doozy!**

* * *

"You gonna get up at any point today?"

She frowned. "I think I'm capable of looking after myself, Damon."

"I'm sure," the dark-haired man conceded, travelling over to the woman sprawled across the cotton sofa and raising an eyebrow, "but you're boring when you're moody."

"I am not moody!" she argued, sitting up and glaring at his back as he sauntered away into the kitchen. "I've been travelling with Stefan and Enzo all week- for the love of all that is holy, let me take a nap."

Hearing only the response of pans clattering against surfaces, she threw the blanket off her torso and trudged towards the door. "Everything aches; those two don't seem to remember the limitations of humanity."

"You know what will make you feel better, Mia?" Damon questioned over his shoulder, "Hanging out with your gal-pal Liv and not sucking the life out of me with your boring human problems."

"Minus the offence I take from that, maybe Liv's company won't make me want to bury myself alive," Mia grimaced, grabbing the keys from the counter before childishly sticking her tongue out at the unamused vampire sorting through condiments, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Attempting to cook a very special meal for a very special lady."

"Ketchup doesn't exactly scream sophistication, buddy," she chuckled, crouching down to sit on the tiled floor beside him and pointing towards a packet of basil. "Unless you want your evening to end with a very unamused Elena, I'd stay clear of that. You know, 'cause she's pretty allergic."

"I knew that," Damon grumbled, hesitantly pushing the herb away from the rest of the containers.

"Of course you did."

"Don't you have a whiny witch to diminish your never-ending sass on?"

"Don't you have a meal you should be attending to?"

"At least take your sass elsewhere."

With a final grin, Mia pushed herself off the tiles and travelled over to the door. "She likes eggplant, by the way."

"Knew that."

* * *

"Sorry, the number you have called is temporarily unavailable. To leave a mes-"

"Ugh, you've got to be kidding me," Mia groaned, collapsing back onto the sofa and pulling the blanket back over her legs. " _Come_ _on,_ Liv!"

The sound of muffled conversation caught her ear.

"Hey Mia," Caroline greeted, dropping an alarming amount of bags onto the living room table.

"Hey Care, been shopping recently?" she questioned, amusement on her face as she heard a groan from behind her.

"I never knew shopping could be so intense," Stefan cringed whilst rubbing his eyes, "that was not a fun experience."

"Neither was clambering through the woods for seven days. At least you had rest-breaks." Mia quipped, patting the vacant side of the sofa for him to sit.

"Actually Gorgeous, she didn't let us have rest-breaks either," Enzo grumbled, moving past Stefan and sitting down instead. Mia pushed him off with her feet.

"Come on, guys! We got a lot done," Caroline beamed, skipping over to force Mia into a standing position. "We've got almost everything!"

"Everything... _for what?_ " Mia frowned, plodding over to inspect the bags more closely.

Caroline raised a brow. "Hello?! It's Bonnie's birthday next week!"

Mia pulled out a colourful party hat. "I can't believe she's turning six already," she simpered.

Caroline snatched the hat away. "Haha, very funny," she frowned, snapping her head around to glare at the snickering boys who were now lazing on the sofa. "I'll have you know party hats are fun for all ages. Now help me set up the streamers, would you?"

"Where's the other Salvatore?" Enzo inquired, batting Stefan's feet off of his lap.

Mia absent-mindedly pointed towards the kitchen. "Cooking for his lady love," she answered, withdrawing a packet of balloons from one of the bags.

Stefan jumped to his feet and sauntered over to the kitchen door. "Hello, brother."

Damon continued to stir the contents of an over-boiling pot, a chequered hand towel hung over his shoulder. "Little busy, junior- go help Snarky and Perky with the festivities."

"Snarky?" Stefan chuckled, crossing his arms in amusement. "I'm guessing Mia must have out-sassed you."

"No one out-sasses me."

"Then why do you look so defeated?"

"I'm not as good at cooking as I am at being sassy, apparently."

The contents of the pot spilled over the edges. "Clearly," Stefan concurred with a smirk before travelling over to Mia. "It's barely one o'clock and you've already pissed him off. Bad day?"

"Everything hurts and it's all your fault."

"Hey! What did I do?"

Mia scowled and motioned towards her entire body. "Human. I am human. Walking for seven days to investigate animal attacks that actually turned out to _be_ animal attacks did not put me in the best of moods." She forcefully pushed her blonde hair behind her ear and sighed irritatedly at the amusement on his face.

He laughed and slung an arm over her shoulders, motioning them both back over to the sofa which Enzo had yet to remove himself from. "Sorry, Mia. I needed my bestie with me... I would have ended up staking him."

"Pretty optimistic thinking there," Enzo remarked, sinking further into the cotton whilst fiddling with a streamer that Caroline threw at his head moments earlier. "If it makes you feel any better Darling, you were welcome company. Well, until you started whinging."

"I don't whinge," Mia nagged, stepping out of the way of the bustling blonde. "Need any more help, Care?"

"Now that you mention it, I forgot the invitations back at home. I'll be five minutes- could you carry on with the banner? Oh, Stefan- didn't you need to drop in to see Alaric? I can take you," she offered, placing her jacket back on and walking towards the front door before fixing him with a slightly impatient glare.

"Ah, yeah thanks. Be back in a bit, Mia." Stefan simpered, patting her head as he strolled towards Caroline. "Please don't annoy my brother, Enzo."

The door slammed shut signalling their exit.

"Well," Enzo chirped, "I'm gonna go annoy Damon for a bit."

"I could use a little help with this- and you're gone." Mia sighed, laughing at his retreating figure and placing her hands on her hips. "Guess I'll just do this by myself, then. Thanks buddy!" she hollered.

Reaching up to the vacant side of the wall, Mia secured the banner and stepped back to observe her work. The words 'Happy 23rd Birthday!" were written with perfect calligraphy, shocking amounts of glitter and feathers decorated the remaining space, and Mia wondered to herself how long Caroline had spent on making it.

"Yeesh, a bit flashy for my taste. And my birthday isn't for another four months."

Mia yelped and jumped forward, turning around to see an unfamiliar face. A man wearing a long, black coat with a Nirvana t-shirt continued to stare up at the gaudy banner with a grin.

"Who are you?" she inquired, tilting her head in confusion at how she didn't sense someone in the room.

"I guess it's the sentiment that counts, really."

"...Hello?"

The man's amused eyes lowered from the banner to rest on her face. "Hiya." he greeted casually, waving his hand before falling down gracelessly onto the sofa behind him. A large grin was plastered on his face as he continued to stare at her.

Mia stared back, brow creased in utter bemusement and pulse racing- her entire being was screaming at her to be cautious, and as a result her breathing steadied, her body tensing. Awkwardly shifting her gaze away when she lost all hope on him speaking first, she reluctantly shuffled over towards another bag and continued decorating, shoulders falling back into rest from the thought that if he _were_ planning to attack her, he wouldn't be twiddling his thumbs and humming to what she identified as Pearl Jam. "If you're trying to creep me out, you're going to have to try a lot harder; I'm associated with an... _interesting_ group of friends. Could you at least help me decorate? You're as bad as Enzo."

The man rolled off the sofa in as little grace as he used to fall on it before sauntering over to the bags and pulling out a handful of party blowers. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess this party _isn't_ for me."

Mia laughed. "Pass." She stretched her hand out to him, eyes still trained on the fairy lights draped over the wooden interior. Staring at her hand for a moment, the man passed the party blowers over and glanced around the room.

"I wasn't aware the Mystic Falls Gang included a six year old," he observed, playfully tapping the balloons away with his finger.

"I like you," Mia concluded, briefly looking at him with a grin, but turning away when the uneasy feeling festering in her stomach pulsed uncomfortably. "You know these guys?"

"Oh yeah, Damon and I go _way_ back," he smirked, returning to the sofa and perching on the arm. "Met him in 1994, actually."

She blinked. "Wouldn't you have been like two?"

"How do you know I'm not a vampire?" he questioned, hissing comically, canines bared, holding an invisible cape across his face in crude imitation.

Her eyes flickered over to him, one side of her lip quirking upwards in an amused smile. "...I live with enough of them to be able to tell- you don't give me that sorta vibe."

"You're a clever one," he praised, his grin growing wider. "Long story short: Stuck in a Prison World, didn't age, met Damon and Bonnie, now here I am."

Mia glanced at the kitchen door and bit her bottom lip anxiously. _Why hadn't Damon picked up on his voice?_

"Oh, I put a muting spell on us. You were right! Not a vampire, just your standard witch. Those two can't hear a thing." he answered, as if he could read her mind. "What's with the face?" He moved closer to her.

"Why'd you put a muting spell on us? _Who are you?_ " Mia repeated, edging away from him with wild eyes willing him to stay away. The tension that had since settled into nothing more than a slightly disturbing ambience was fuelled by every step he took.

Her back came into contact with the wall, but the man kept treading towards her. He came to a halt directly in front of her, eyes glancing down playfully. She observed that he was tall, around six foot- dark hair coupled with even darker eyes. Every nerve in her body went into high alert, and the aura of magic surrounding his body was so tangible she felt like she was choking. His face dipped close to hers, dark eyes calculating and amused, brows creased in suspicion, and in the next second- after reaching a hand towards her wrist- he was suddenly thrown against the opposite wall with great force by an irritated Stefan. The Salvatore stepped back as Caroline rushed in, chucking the invitations on the table and stopping in front of Mia.

"What are you doing here, Kai? Shouldn't you be in Portland?" Stefan frowned, watching intently as the man sat up and dusted himself off, chuckling.

"It got boring without you guys, I got homesick. Those invitations, Care?" Kai queried, leaning his body to the side to glance at the table that was now carelessly littered with envelopes. Caroline merely rolled her eyes in response, immediately turning her attention back to Mia.

"Are you okay, Mia? Did he touch you? _Where's Enzo?!_ " she fumed, running a frantic hand through her locks.

"Present," he responded, striding out of the kitchen with Damon following closely behind. "I'm gone for five minutes and a magical serial killer breaks in. Typical."

"I'm sorry- _serial killer?_ " Mia spluttered, eyes widening in alarm. Kai shrugged in response.

"Labels, labels. How sucky- you murder people _one time_ -" Damon raised a brow. "Okay, _a_ _couple times_ , and you get labelled for life. How is that fair?"

"What in the _Hell_ are you _doing here, Kai?_ " Damon snarled, stalking towards the man sitting on the floor complacently.

"Would you believe I'm here for some brother-sister bonding time?"

Kai pushed himself from the floor, opting to lean back against the wooden wall and flash Damon a smirk when he saw his annoyance grow. "No, seriously! I have some business to talk about with my sisters. Any ideas where they are? I tried to use a locator spell but they were dumb enough to hide their locations from me."

"What makes you think we'd tell you even if we did know where they were?" Caroline spat, continuing to check Mia for possible injuries. When she was certain there were none to be found, she clasped the girl's hand and ventured over towards Enzo. "You're not exactly Brother of the Year."

" _Rude._ " Kai glowered, "Look, I'd love to sit here and hear all the things you are itching to say about me but sadly, the conversation I need to have with my sisters? It's a _doozy_. Kinda need to know where they are, unless you want them kidnapped- or, well, tortured to death." He laughed at their fierce expressions before adding with a half-hearted wave of his hand, "Not by me this time!" He swayed on his feet, hands in his pockets as he awaited the information he came for.

"What are you talking about? Why do you care if they get killed, anyway?" Stefan interrogated, glancing towards his brother. Damon shrugged in response before returning his gaze to the man who was even more impatient than before.

"None of your beeswax. Hey, what about you? Mia right? Any information would be more than appreciated."

"Who are your sisters?" she asked steadily, intrigue overcoming her urge to flee. She chose to ignore the enraged stare that Damon was blazing into her skull.

"Josette- tall, dark hair. Looks like me, being my twinsie. Er, but she's like forty." He smirked at her confusion. "Prison World, remember? My other dear sister actually looks my age, but she's got crazy blonde hair. Name's Olivia, goes by Liv- and judging by your face, I assume you know both of them. _And me_."

" _You're_ Malachai Parker?" she shrieked, clambering backwards in terror. Her face contorted as she continued to stare at the man whose story she recalled hearing long ago by none other than his twin herself.

"The one and only," he smiled, and the proud look worn across his face made her feel nauseous. "Now we're properly acquainted, I'm gonna have to rush you for that information Mia. Time's a-ticking." he tapped his wrist as he stalked towards her.

She staggered back accordingly, raising an arm to stop him. "That's as close as you're getting. From the things I've heard, I find it pretty impossible to comprehend what would possess you to care for the well-beings of your siblings."

"I wouldn't say I care about their well-beings per se, it's more that I care about preventing my entire coven from becoming extinct. As the leader of the Gemini, it's kind of expected of me to not have the entire coven wiped out. What a drag, right?"

"We don't have time for chit-chat, Kai- either you tell us who's targeting the coven or I personally mail you back to Oregon." Damon challenged, fingers twitching in the alluring notion of stuffing the freak of nature in a crate and shipping him to the Western coast.

At long length, Kai turned his gaze from Mia to Damon, eyes narrowing as his voice lowered. "Ever heard of the Umbravis?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's an update :) I hope you enjoy and thank you so much for the reviews!**

* * *

"Umbravis?" Damon repeated, "Rings a bell."

"They're a pack of werewolves," Kai began, pointing to a section of the map that Stefan had laid out on the table. "They were last tracked here, in Mystic Falls. Hence my greatly anticipated return," he grinned widely.

 _ **"It's an ambush!"**_

"Mia?"

Mia's eyes flickered towards Caroline before landing back onto her hands, which were squeezing her glass so tightly her knuckles had turned white. "Oh," she murmured, releasing her grip and allowing the glass to fall back onto the table.

"You okay there? You looked out of it for a second," her friend responded, tilting her head in concern.

Mia's eyes landed on Kai, whose attention had lifted from the map and was now trained on her. Her heart-rate quickened as he continued to stare, and she glanced at Damon to relieve her heart from hammering against her ribs. He seemed, although not ecstatic, not as on-edge as she would have assumed he would be with a psychopath sitting on his rug. "I'm fine," she informed, opting to throw Caroline a small smile to reassure her. "I just zoned out for a second there. Anyway, why Mystic Falls?"

"It's _always_ Mystic Falls," Damon grimaced, pouring more Bourbon into his glass. "Home of the Supernatural freaks... and Matt Donovan." he added with a smirk.

"See, that's the thing I have yet to find out." Kai exclaimed, returning his attention to the map and pointing to another area. "Looks like they've been travelling all the way from North Carolina."

Stefan crossed his arms and looked at Kai. "What do they want?"

"Word on the grapevine is that they're looking for a way to escape the curse placed upon them, and by all of the 'animal attacks' recently, I think it's right to assume they're violent. Which _means_ they spell danger for the Gemini coven." he replied, laughing. "Get it? _Spell?_ "

Enzo rolled his eyes. "Surely a pack of mongrels isn't something a group of witches should be worried about."

"Well Lorenzo," Kai drawled, "It's not _them_ that is raising alarm bells throughout the witchy community. If they manage to undo the curse, the balance of nature and magic will be tipped and the last time _that_ happened, the Other Side collapsed."

"Well, lucky for us there's no way for them to break the curse," Damon concurred, lifting his glass in a salute before drinking the beverage down in one gulp.

"You'd think, right?" Kai nodded, pushing up from his position on the floor and walking over to stand behind the sofa. "Unfortunately there's a balance for everything. Witches create vampires, vampires get the Cure. Witches curse werewolves..."

"They also get a cure," Caroline finished, voice thick with realisation. "But werewolves have been looking for a cure for centuries- why are we just hearing about this?"

"Only a select few covens were informed about the whereabouts of the cure for werewolves; One being the Gemini." he answered, leaning against the sofa where Mia and Caroline sat. Mia leaned away.

"So you know where it is?" questioned Stefan.

"Correction- I _did_ know where it _was._ Looks like they found it."

" _They've got the cure?!_ " Damon growled, standing up and stalking towards an amused Kai.

"Relaaaaax, it's not like the cure for Vampirism- Can't just chug it down. Werewolves, being originally created by Nature itself, are way more complex. They need sacrifices to activate it." Kai explained, waving an agitated Damon away with his hand. He travelled over to his backpack and pulled out an ageing book, leather cover worn from time and spine sagging with the weight of the pages.

"Aha," he exclaimed, flipping to a page near the middle of the book and pointing towards a picture. " _This_ , ladies and gentlemen, is the cure for werewolves."

A crimson orb, speckled with grey and blue, hung powerfully from a simple silver chain. The jewel rested on a plate of argent metal, shaped into pointed ivy vines and leaves.

Mia leaned forward slightly and Caroline opted to read the text below. "The Liberiora," she began, "is an ancient relic created by Nature itself as a repercussion to the curse placed upon werewolves, and is the only known cure for the werewolf species."

"How can a glorified necklace be the key to curing an ancient curse?" Damon questioned, glancing towards Kai. The man merely smiled in return, nodding his head at Caroline. "Keep reading, Blondie." he urged.

"All that is known about the relic," Caroline growled, shooting Kai an annoyed frown, "is that its power can only be activated through a series of sacrifices: human, witch, and Luminë." She tilted her head. "Luminë? What's that?"

"No idea," Kai informed, eyes narrowing as he watched Mia. "What's up with her?"

 _ **"Lock her away! She'll destroy everything!"**_

At that moment, Mia stood up from the sofa and shuffled closer to the book.

 _ **"They're attacking! Hide the Key!"**_

Eyes glazed over, she tentatively reached out a hand towards the yellowing page, but before she could touch the picture the book was slammed shut and placed on the floor. Kai raised a brow. "Yoohoo," he called, waving a hand in front of her face, "anybody in there?"

 _ **"Where is everyone?"**_

Mia's eyes sharpened and she stepped back immediately, glancing at her raised hand before letting it drop to her side. "I..." she breathed, moving away from Stefan who had tried to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I don't feel great. I'll be upstairs if you need me." she mentioned to no one in particular.

Kai's eyes fixed on her retreating form as she ambled up the steps. He stared for a few moments longer, brows furrowed in thought, before looking back down at the book and opening it to inspect the Liberiora again.

"I'm going to go and check on her," Stefan sighed, walking over to the staircase and glancing back. "Ask him what he knows."

Damon turned from his brother back to Kai. "Yo, Sabrina the teenage witch- what are the facts?"

Kai gazed up at him before moving to sit where Mia had been moments prior and stretching out, resting his feet atop of the map and raising his left index finger.

"One: The Umbravis need human sacrifices."

Enzo frowned as he glared at the map. "Looks like they've already taken care of that."

Kai raised another finger. "Two: The Umbravis also need a coven sacrifice."

"And you think they're after the Gemini coven?" Damon mused.

"Theoretically they could just use any substandard coven, but they want as much power as they can find to ensure the Liberiora will take full effect. Which _means_ the coven is in danger and I have the mundane job of having to look after everyone." Kai groaned, sinking further into the cushions of the sofa. "Thought I would clue my sisters in."

"You're mighty caring all of a sudden," Enzo pointed out, voice laced with sarcasm.

"Ah you give me too much credit," he replied, grinning. "I need help finding a spell to stop them, so I thought I'd ask my two favourite witches."

"We don't know where they are," Caroline confirmed, eyes falling onto the staircase as Stefan descended.

"Mia's on the phone to them right now," he informed, lumbering over to the table and chucking Kai's feet off to fold up the map. "They were out gathering stuff for Jo's wedding and didn't want to be disturbed, so they hid their whereabouts."

"Where are they now?" Kai asked, standing up and venturing towards the front door.

"At Alaric's. We're coming too."

"What? Don't trust me?" he laughed, hand hovering over the handle as he turned his head to fix Stefan with a cheeky grin.

"What _ever_ gave you that impression?" Damon sassed, travelling over to the door with Caroline and Enzo close behind.

"Well," Kai sang, "the more the merrier."

* * *

 _ **The sky was dark with thick smoke billowing off of charred trees. Debris consisting of fabric and ash clumped together in piles around the vicinity, and the stench of death was ripe and heavy.**_

 _ **Bodies fell to the floor, lifeless eyes still open revealing last moments of fear. Uprooted trees crushed a few, others wore injuries to the head, and the majority of them were covered in still bleeding burns.**_

 _ **The silence was deafening as a young child wobbled to her knees, eye wincing in pain as an open wound on her hand melded with the dirt on the ground. Her head was spinning, her senses heightened due to adrenaline. The stains of red on her clothes were a bright crimson, distant fires roared in her ears.**_

 _ **"Where is everyone?" her hoarse voice croaked. And then she saw the bodies.**_

 _ **"Mia," she heard someone call. Her eyes widened in realisation.**_

 _ **"No," she whimpered, desperately crawling away from the advancing figure. "S-stay away."**_

 _ **"Mia," the voice repeated, louder this time. More urgent.**_

 _ **"NO!"**_

"Mia!" Kai yelled into her ear, and the scene of destruction dissolved into her dim bedroom, and she gasped in confusion, waking with a start.

The bulb that had been glowing brightly before she slept was now smashed across the wooden floor boards.

"Kai?" she whispered, scurrying to the far side of the bed when she caught sight of his features, highlighted by the moon's glow. "H-how did you even get in here?"

"You guys don't lock the front door. You should really think about at least casting a _protection spell_ on the place, otherwise all _sorts_ of crazies could get in." he chastised, ignoring her obvious discomfort at his intrusion and laying down on the vacant side of the bed.

"...I don't have any magic to do a protection spell. I'm human."

He glanced towards the remains of the bulb.

"Yeah, no you're not."

"That wasn't m-"

"Come on, Mia. No need to pretend," he consoled her. "Anyway, I knew you were a witch the moment I met you."

She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and falling onto her back, rubbing her forehead. "You could sense my magic."

"Bingo," he cheered. "Any particular reason why you haven't told the Mystery Gang?"

She glared at the bulb. "Yes. And if you even _think_ about telling _any_ of them, I'll-"

"You'll what? he challenged, turning on his side to face her. She faltered, the words dying and fizzling away on her tongue. A few moments of awkward silence past until he spoke again. "...If Damon is Freddie, that would make Elena Daphne."

"...What are you on about?"

"Fitting, 'cause she's pretty useless."

"Hey!"

He grinned. "And you'd be Velma."

She only responded with a frown.

"Smart," he continued, rolling onto his back again, "witty... Pretty much holds the entire crew together."

"Something tells me you're buttering me up. Spit it out."

He looked over at her. "I talked to my sisters, said they'd help to lock away the Umbravis."

"...And?"

"We spent hours going through all the ancient texts we could find and came up with one solution- A Prison World."

"Like the one you were trapped in," she concurred, smirking slightly at the irritated expression on his face.

"Yeah, like that. Only..."

"Only what?" she pressed, sitting up after realising that she was sharing a bed with a psychopath. She shuddered.

"Locking away me was pretty easy, considering I had no magic and there was one of me. Locking away an entire faction of werewolves that coincidentally are also one of the original packs? Not so easy."

"And you need my power."

"Correct."

"Why mine? Why not ask your coven?"

"As much as I am breaking my _back_ trying to save them from certain doom and destruction, they seem to hold a few grudges against me."

She blinked. "They don't trust you."

"Something tells me they don't even _like_ me," he whispered, grinning.

"And who says _I_ do?"

"Please," he laughed, dismissing her comment and sitting up. "I've learned to get over the fact that they locked me away in the first place. Abandoned me." he grimaced, eyes glazing over in recollection of the day he was sent away. Mia chose to stay quiet, focusing on the tortured expression on his face. It was gone within a second as he turned back to her with a scoff. "And they can't even get over me murdering a couple of my siblings, like, _twenty years ago_."

Mia's face contorted into a look of disgust. "I'm not helping you- get out of my bed."

"Come on, Mia. Don't make me beg."

She rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm not the biggest fan of you. And I _don't_ use magic... not anymore."

"You have a _crazy_ amount of magic, I can practically see it."

"Yeah that's the problem," she spat, "there's too much of it."

He glanced at her hand that was laying on top of her lap. "You can't control it."

"Bingo." she mocked.

"You know," he began, lips curling into a smile, "I can help you with that."

Reaching over, he grabbed her hand, pulling it towards him. Mia yelped in surprise and attempted to break free from his grasp, but as he began to siphon her magic, the stinging sensation ebbed away, and her vision grew hazy.

At long length, Kai dropped her hand and sat back to examine her face. "There you go, less magic to deal with. For now."

Mia lifted her head, closing her eyes and searching for her magic, which- indeed- was pulsing dully, and she sighed in relief.

"You're welcome," he chided, hopping off of the bed and surveying her bedroom interestedly. "So you gonna help, or what?" he asked, playing with a tangled heap of necklaces on the top of her drawer.

"Who said I was going to help you?"

"Look, let's make a deal Mia. You help me and my sisters lock away the Umbravis, and in return..."

She glared at the back of his head, willing every atom in her body to refrain from breaking her resolve. However, as the silence stretched on, her resolve crumbled slightly. "...In return?" she murmured.

He turned around to face her. "I'll keep your magic in check."

She raised a finger and creased her brows in defiance, before he added hastily, " _And,_ I'll keep your dirty little secret from the Mystery Gang."

Mia internally groaned. _Blackmail. Of course._

As she stared back at the man shuffling eagerly on his feet, she weighed her options. Reject his offer, keep her magic hidden and unused... Well, until her friends found out. Then she'd be made to use her powers anyway, she assumed.

She stood up from the bed and travelled over to stand in front of him.

If she were to agree to help she'd have to use her magic, sure. But if it got out of control he could just take it away. Plus, the Umbravis did raise concern for the lives of Jo and Liv.

She cautiously reached out a hand between them. He glanced down at it, raising a brow.

"Deal."

He grinned, bypassing her outstretched hand and opting to place his on her cheek instead. "Deal." he repeated.

Flinching away from his touch, the bulb in her bedside lamp exploded. Kai gripped his head in pain as her magic lashed out in defence, forcing him to his knees.

"What is he doing here?"

Before she could register what was happening, Damon had tackled him to the wall.

Kai groaned, still gripping his head in pain. "Seriously? Again? Salvatores suck."

"What is he doing in your room, Mia?" Damon growled, stalking over towards the girl who was frozen in place. _He didn't notice my magic._

She snapped her eyes from Kai to Damon as the latter quickly surveyed her for injuries.

"...He was just leaving." she responded, shakily wiping her cheek and swiftly wiping the broken shards of glass from the main lightbulb under the bed with her foot.

"Okay, okay. I can take a hint." Kai smirked, releasing his head and hobbling towards the door before sending Mia a wink. "See you tomorrow, ladies."


End file.
